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Announcing the 2025–26 Golden Fellows Contributing Writer Tue, 05/13/2025 - 08:41 Colgate Career Services is proud to introduce the 13 newest members of the John A. Golden ’66 Fellowship. Established in 2006, this fellowship supports students pursuing careers in law or medicine with a combination of funding, advising, and professional development. Read more. Alumni Career Development News and Updates Student

Colgate Celebrates 15th Annual 13 Days of Green Celebration sliddell@colgate.edu Mon, 05/12/2025 - 10:53 Colgate University’s Office of Sustainability invited the campus community to unite for the 15th annual 13 Days of Green celebration, April 10–22. This tradition featured a diverse lineup of educational, thought-provoking, and fun events designed to highlight environmental challenges and inspire sustainable action both locally in the Hamilton community and around the world. The celebration coincided with the 55th annual Earth Day. Throughout the series, students, faculty, staff, and alumni engaged in a variety of events hosted in collaboration with campus partners, including ALANA Cultural Center, University Museums, First@Colgate, the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education, and Chapel House. “Making sustainable changes at the institutional level takes year-round, behind-the-scenes collaboration across campus,” said Julia Sparks, assistant director of the sustainability and program coordinator for the Environmental Studies Program. “While much of our work focuses on digging into data or discussing operational barriers, 13 Days of Green provides an opportunity to celebrate progress, spotlight ongoing gaps, and actively engage the campus community.” The celebration kicked off in the Coop Media Room, with tabling by student groups, live music from student band Without Walter, and Maxwell’s ice cream. Subsequent events ranged from hands-on outdoor activities like the Leave No Trace workshop and hike and sustainable foraging trips, to thoughtful indoor conversations and panels. A screening of The True Cost explored the dark realities of the fast fashion industry, and S-Rep alumni discussed careers in sustainability. Participants also had the opportunity to slow down and connect with nature through events like a forest bird walk, sunrise meditation sessions at Chapel House, and gardening discussions about adapting to an uncertain climate. The Swap and Stitch event, co-hosted by ALANA and First@Colgate, encouraged students to ditch fast fashion by swapping clothes and learning how to repair garments that they already have. The Earth Day Extravaganza on April 18, hosted by the Student Sustainability Council, offered an afternoon of cookouts, live music, and sustainable arts and crafts, celebrating the collective impact of students engaged in sustainability efforts across campus. “By empowering both newcomers to sustainable action and longtime sustainability advocates, our impact goes far beyond what our office could achieve alone,” Sparks noted. “Everyone has a role to play in making our campus better for the long run.” Service opportunities, like the Day of Service on April 19, connected volunteers with local organizations for projects such as invasive plant removal and garden preparation, reinforcing the series’ message that meaningful change begins with local action. A highlight of the series was the Environmental Studies and Oak Awards Ceremony on April 17, which helped to recognize students, faculty, staff, and teams who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to sustainability at Colgate. As Earth Day approached, participants reflected and looked forward. Initiatives like Face Your Waste at Frank Dining Hall on April 22 brought attention to food waste in a striking, visual way. In the span of three hours, Office of Sustainability interns collected and measured a total of 73.6 pounds of post-consumer food waste, displaying mostly intact plates of discarded food to help students see their personal contributions. On the other hand, the talk Finding Climate Optimism When Hope Seems Lost offered strategies for maintaining hope and motivation in the face of daunting climate challenges. Sign up for the Sustainability Newsletter or view event updates online. Opening Celebration with Chapel House's Resident Service Animal, Lily Opening Celebration Forest Bird Walk Swap and Stitch Students Fixing Up Green Bikes Day of Service at the Colgate Community Garden Oak Awards Ceremony Campus Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student sustainabilityStudents help to prepare Colgate's Community Garden for a new season during 13 Days of Green. Photo by Mark DiOrio.

Next Up on 13: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life kputman@colgate.edu Fri, 05/09/2025 - 11:49 On the latest episode of 13, the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies Anthony Aveni discusses his newest book, Aliens Like Us?: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life. Aveni started teaching at Colgate in 1963 and is widely known as one of the founders of Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy for his research in the astronomical history of the Maya Indians of ancient Mexico.  Aveni was featured in Rolling Stone's list of the 10 best university professors in the country, and he was voted National Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Washington, D.C., the highest national award for teaching. At Colgate, he received the 2012 Balmuth Teaching Award, the 1997 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society Distinguished Teaching Award voted by the Class of 1990. Aveni is a lecturer, speaker, and editor/author of three dozen books on ancient astronomy and has more than 300 research publications to his credit, including three cover articles in Science magazine and key works in American Scientist, The Sciences, American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and The Journal of Archaeological Research. In 2017, after 54 years at Colgate, Aveni retired from teaching full time. In March, Aveni’s newest book, Aliens Like Us?: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life, was published. “Aveni’s newest work departs significantly from the usual scientific treatment of extraterrestrial intelligence by probing the historical and widely neglected anthropological record, which offers relevant incidents of contact among terrestrial cultures.” Each episode of 13, Colgate’s award-winning podcast, digs into the work of a University community member by asking questions. Episodes highlight the wide array of academic disciplines at Colgate, with interviews featuring faculty from political science, sociology and anthropology, physics and astronomy, women’s studies, English, Africana and Latin American studies, and many more. Find 13 on your favorite podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Faculty News Faculty Profiles News and Updates Faculty & Staff

Colgate Professor and Students Publish Paper on Cancer Gene KLF4 sliddell@colgate.edu Thu, 05/08/2025 - 11:05 Colgate University Professor of Biology Engda Hagos has once again made headlines not only for groundbreaking cancer research, but also for the collaborative spirit in which it was conducted. A recent publication in Current Issues in Molecular Biology, titled “Krüppel-like Factor 4-Deficient Cells Are Sensitive to Etoposide-Induced DNA Damage,” examines the role of the gene KLF4 in DNA repair and features five Colgate students and alumni as co-authors. For Hagos, the project was years in the making. “In my lab, we try to understand how genomic instability that happens due to the absence of KLF4, a gene that acts as a tumor suppressor, leads to cancer development,” Hagos said. His interest in KLF4 began with earlier studies, which revealed that cancer cells without the gene exhibited increased invasion and higher levels of DNA-damaging free radicals. These findings led Hagos and his students to explore KLF4’s role in DNA repair pathways, a complex process critical to preventing cancerous mutations. The team’s findings were striking: cells containing KLF4 were more capable of repairing DNA after being exposed to the chemotherapy drug Etoposide, suggesting the gene regulates repair-related mechanisms. “These findings provide insight into the DNA damage response and may help guide future therapeutic strategies,” Hagos said. The three-year study included Colgate alumni Elisabeth Pezzuto ’22, Patrick Wertimer ’23, Aidan Conroy ’23, Maxwell Rubinstein ’24, and current senior Hadeel Al Qoronz. Together, they navigated the intricacies of experimental design, data analysis, and scientific writing, often repeating experiments several times to validate their findings. “Experiments don’t always work, and if they do, we need to repeat them many times before they’re ready for publication,” said Hagos. “But I enjoy the hard work, especially from bright young students who tirelessly pursue their goals.” Rubinstein, first author on the article, reflected on the experience with deep gratitude. “This research represents my growth as a student,” he said. “Even after graduation, Professor Hagos and I would spend hours on Zoom working on the paper. It was so rewarding to continue that mentorship.” Now working as an Associate Product Manager at Medline Industries, Rubinstein sees the publication as a culmination of his academic journey. Conroy, who worked on the project during his senior thesis, recalled maintaining cancer cell lines and performing Western blots to analyze DNA repair proteins. “Professor Hagos went above and beyond his duties,” Conroy said. “He pushed us to develop our own questions and hypotheses, cultivating independence while supporting us every step of the way.” Conroy will begin medical school at UMass Chan this summer. For Pezzuto, now a PhD candidate at the German Cancer Research Center, the collaboration was career-defining. “Before meeting Professor Hagos, I was uncertain about a future in science,” she said. “His mentorship pushed me to aim higher. This publication marks my first, and it feels like the launch of my scientific career.” The publication is also a capstone for Al Qoronz, who will graduate this May and hopes to attend dental school. Wertimer, who is set to begin a PhD in neuroscience at Stony Brook University and is currently a research assistant at Rockefeller University. This spring, three of Hagos’s current students — Megan Sullivan ’25, Nicole Rodgers ’25, and Cole Zeh ’25 — presented research at national conferences. They, along with Hagos, are co-authoring a new manuscript expected to be submitted by the end of the year. This study adds to a growing body of research on KLF4 and its role in maintaining genomic stability, but for Hagos and his team, the lasting impact is in the process itself: years of experiments, setbacks, revisions, and persistence. “Good research demands time and patience,” Hagos said. “But in the end, it is rewarding.” Since 2015, Hagos has published seven peer-reviewed articles with 35 Colgate student co-authors. “Colgate is a very unique place for me,” he said. “There are not many other liberal arts colleges that do what we do, and I feel very happy and blessed that I found a place and job where every single day I am excited to come to work.” Academics Natural Sciences and Mathematics Faculty News Research Alumni News and Updates Alumni Faculty & Staff Student Department of Biology Professor of Biology Engda Hagos (Photo by Mark DiOrio)

Learn more about Colgate professors from the things they keep in — or on — their desks. The post The thing is… first appeared on The Colgate Scene.

Tour National Institutes of Health labs with Colgate alumni and students on the 25th NIH study group. The post Down to a science first appeared on The Colgate Scene.

The Office of Undergraduate Studies Program has helped shape scholars for 50 years. The post MomentOUS first appeared on The Colgate Scene.

Above: 1975. Photo courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives. Nestled in the Chenango Valley, with a campus surrounded by sugar maples and northern red oaks, Colgate’s campus is stunning. So, it makes sense that Colgate students like to be outside. More than a century ago, students formally realized this, coming together to create a... Read more The post The Great Outdoors first appeared on The Colgate Scene.

In honor of Colgate’s Bicentennial year, the Picker Art Gallery is hosting a special traveling exhibition, Koolanga Boodja Neh Nidjuuk (Children Looking and Listening on Country), through June 30. The post Repatriation and Reconciliation: The Carrolup Artworks Return to Colgate first appeared on Colgate University News.

Grafters X Change: Branches and Networks brought together Colgate and local community members, eco-artists, and activists to foster creative community resiliency. The post Grafters X Change Builds Community Resiliency first appeared on Colgate University News.

The Mat transforms the flexible, open space of Parker Commons into a vibrant venue where student and professional artists come together to perform music for the community. The post New Arts Initiative Promotes Inclusive Music Scene first appeared on Colgate University News.

April 4–6 marked the campus debut of hybrid media artist Paul Catanese’s avant-garde opera Century of Progress / Sleep. The Ho Tung Visualization Laboratory was transformed for the production. The post Century of Progress / Sleep: A Multi Media Adventure in the Vis Lab first appeared on Colgate University News.

Announcing the 2025–26 Golden Fellows Contributing Writer Tue, 05/13/2025 - 08:41 Colgate Career Services is proud to introduce the 13 newest members of the John A. Golden ’66 Fellowship. Established in 2006, this fellowship supports students pursuing careers in law or medicine with a combination of funding, advising, and professional development. Read more. Alumni Career Development News and Updates Student

Colgate Celebrates 15th Annual 13 Days of Green Celebration sliddell@colgate.edu Mon, 05/12/2025 - 10:53 Colgate University’s Office of Sustainability invited the campus community to unite for the 15th annual 13 Days of Green celebration, April 10–22. This tradition featured a diverse lineup of educational, thought-provoking, and fun events designed to highlight environmental challenges and inspire sustainable action both locally in the Hamilton community and around the world. The celebration coincided with the 55th annual Earth Day. Throughout the series, students, faculty, staff, and alumni engaged in a variety of events hosted in collaboration with campus partners, including ALANA Cultural Center, University Museums, First@Colgate, the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education, and Chapel House. “Making sustainable changes at the institutional level takes year-round, behind-the-scenes collaboration across campus,” said Julia Sparks, assistant director of the sustainability and program coordinator for the Environmental Studies Program. “While much of our work focuses on digging into data or discussing operational barriers, 13 Days of Green provides an opportunity to celebrate progress, spotlight ongoing gaps, and actively engage the campus community.” The celebration kicked off in the Coop Media Room, with tabling by student groups, live music from student band Without Walter, and Maxwell’s ice cream. Subsequent events ranged from hands-on outdoor activities like the Leave No Trace workshop and hike and sustainable foraging trips, to thoughtful indoor conversations and panels. A screening of The True Cost explored the dark realities of the fast fashion industry, and S-Rep alumni discussed careers in sustainability. Participants also had the opportunity to slow down and connect with nature through events like a forest bird walk, sunrise meditation sessions at Chapel House, and gardening discussions about adapting to an uncertain climate. The Swap and Stitch event, co-hosted by ALANA and First@Colgate, encouraged students to ditch fast fashion by swapping clothes and learning how to repair garments that they already have. The Earth Day Extravaganza on April 18, hosted by the Student Sustainability Council, offered an afternoon of cookouts, live music, and sustainable arts and crafts, celebrating the collective impact of students engaged in sustainability efforts across campus. “By empowering both newcomers to sustainable action and longtime sustainability advocates, our impact goes far beyond what our office could achieve alone,” Sparks noted. “Everyone has a role to play in making our campus better for the long run.” Service opportunities, like the Day of Service on April 19, connected volunteers with local organizations for projects such as invasive plant removal and garden preparation, reinforcing the series’ message that meaningful change begins with local action. A highlight of the series was the Environmental Studies and Oak Awards Ceremony on April 17, which helped to recognize students, faculty, staff, and teams who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to sustainability at Colgate. As Earth Day approached, participants reflected and looked forward. Initiatives like Face Your Waste at Frank Dining Hall on April 22 brought attention to food waste in a striking, visual way. In the span of three hours, Office of Sustainability interns collected and measured a total of 73.6 pounds of post-consumer food waste, displaying mostly intact plates of discarded food to help students see their personal contributions. On the other hand, the talk Finding Climate Optimism When Hope Seems Lost offered strategies for maintaining hope and motivation in the face of daunting climate challenges. Sign up for the Sustainability Newsletter or view event updates online. Opening Celebration with Chapel House's Resident Service Animal, Lily Opening Celebration Forest Bird Walk Swap and Stitch Students Fixing Up Green Bikes Day of Service at the Colgate Community Garden Oak Awards Ceremony Campus Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student sustainabilityStudents help to prepare Colgate's Community Garden for a new season during 13 Days of Green. Photo by Mark DiOrio.

Next Up on 13: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life kputman@colgate.edu Fri, 05/09/2025 - 11:49 On the latest episode of 13, the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies Anthony Aveni discusses his newest book, Aliens Like Us?: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life. Aveni started teaching at Colgate in 1963 and is widely known as one of the founders of Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy for his research in the astronomical history of the Maya Indians of ancient Mexico.  Aveni was featured in Rolling Stone's list of the 10 best university professors in the country, and he was voted National Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Washington, D.C., the highest national award for teaching. At Colgate, he received the 2012 Balmuth Teaching Award, the 1997 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society Distinguished Teaching Award voted by the Class of 1990. Aveni is a lecturer, speaker, and editor/author of three dozen books on ancient astronomy and has more than 300 research publications to his credit, including three cover articles in Science magazine and key works in American Scientist, The Sciences, American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and The Journal of Archaeological Research. In 2017, after 54 years at Colgate, Aveni retired from teaching full time. In March, Aveni’s newest book, Aliens Like Us?: An Anthropologist’s Field Guide to Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life, was published. “Aveni’s newest work departs significantly from the usual scientific treatment of extraterrestrial intelligence by probing the historical and widely neglected anthropological record, which offers relevant incidents of contact among terrestrial cultures.” Each episode of 13, Colgate’s award-winning podcast, digs into the work of a University community member by asking questions. Episodes highlight the wide array of academic disciplines at Colgate, with interviews featuring faculty from political science, sociology and anthropology, physics and astronomy, women’s studies, English, Africana and Latin American studies, and many more. Find 13 on your favorite podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Faculty News Faculty Profiles News and Updates Faculty & Staff

Colgate Professor and Students Publish Paper on Cancer Gene KLF4 sliddell@colgate.edu Thu, 05/08/2025 - 11:05 Colgate University Professor of Biology Engda Hagos has once again made headlines not only for groundbreaking cancer research, but also for the collaborative spirit in which it was conducted. A recent publication in Current Issues in Molecular Biology, titled “Krüppel-like Factor 4-Deficient Cells Are Sensitive to Etoposide-Induced DNA Damage,” examines the role of the gene KLF4 in DNA repair and features five Colgate students and alumni as co-authors. For Hagos, the project was years in the making. “In my lab, we try to understand how genomic instability that happens due to the absence of KLF4, a gene that acts as a tumor suppressor, leads to cancer development,” Hagos said. His interest in KLF4 began with earlier studies, which revealed that cancer cells without the gene exhibited increased invasion and higher levels of DNA-damaging free radicals. These findings led Hagos and his students to explore KLF4’s role in DNA repair pathways, a complex process critical to preventing cancerous mutations. The team’s findings were striking: cells containing KLF4 were more capable of repairing DNA after being exposed to the chemotherapy drug Etoposide, suggesting the gene regulates repair-related mechanisms. “These findings provide insight into the DNA damage response and may help guide future therapeutic strategies,” Hagos said. The three-year study included Colgate alumni Elisabeth Pezzuto ’22, Patrick Wertimer ’23, Aidan Conroy ’23, Maxwell Rubinstein ’24, and current senior Hadeel Al Qoronz. Together, they navigated the intricacies of experimental design, data analysis, and scientific writing, often repeating experiments several times to validate their findings. “Experiments don’t always work, and if they do, we need to repeat them many times before they’re ready for publication,” said Hagos. “But I enjoy the hard work, especially from bright young students who tirelessly pursue their goals.” Rubinstein, first author on the article, reflected on the experience with deep gratitude. “This research represents my growth as a student,” he said. “Even after graduation, Professor Hagos and I would spend hours on Zoom working on the paper. It was so rewarding to continue that mentorship.” Now working as an Associate Product Manager at Medline Industries, Rubinstein sees the publication as a culmination of his academic journey. Conroy, who worked on the project during his senior thesis, recalled maintaining cancer cell lines and performing Western blots to analyze DNA repair proteins. “Professor Hagos went above and beyond his duties,” Conroy said. “He pushed us to develop our own questions and hypotheses, cultivating independence while supporting us every step of the way.” Conroy will begin medical school at UMass Chan this summer. For Pezzuto, now a PhD candidate at the German Cancer Research Center, the collaboration was career-defining. “Before meeting Professor Hagos, I was uncertain about a future in science,” she said. “His mentorship pushed me to aim higher. This publication marks my first, and it feels like the launch of my scientific career.” The publication is also a capstone for Al Qoronz, who will graduate this May and hopes to attend dental school. Wertimer, who is set to begin a PhD in neuroscience at Stony Brook University and is currently a research assistant at Rockefeller University. This spring, three of Hagos’s current students — Megan Sullivan ’25, Nicole Rodgers ’25, and Cole Zeh ’25 — presented research at national conferences. They, along with Hagos, are co-authoring a new manuscript expected to be submitted by the end of the year. This study adds to a growing body of research on KLF4 and its role in maintaining genomic stability, but for Hagos and his team, the lasting impact is in the process itself: years of experiments, setbacks, revisions, and persistence. “Good research demands time and patience,” Hagos said. “But in the end, it is rewarding.” Since 2015, Hagos has published seven peer-reviewed articles with 35 Colgate student co-authors. “Colgate is a very unique place for me,” he said. “There are not many other liberal arts colleges that do what we do, and I feel very happy and blessed that I found a place and job where every single day I am excited to come to work.” Academics Natural Sciences and Mathematics Faculty News Research Alumni News and Updates Alumni Faculty & Staff Student Department of Biology Professor of Biology Engda Hagos (Photo by Mark DiOrio)